Nowhere Else
by secretstar
Summary: Future Literati. He knows that he couldn't have this anywhere else but here. Maybe he's always known. [complete]


**Notes**: Future Rory/Jess, maybe about 3 years after the 3rd season. Thanks to Elise, Kat, and Luce for their lovely words. You girls always make me smile. Thanks a bunch. *hugs* This is complete by the way. And as always, feedback is always appreciated and welcomed.   
  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters ... ASP & the WB do ...   
  
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**Nowhere Else**

He bends down to kiss her hair, and thinks the scent to be lavender. It is growing to be familiar and comforting, something he is still shocked to find—even now. He notices the way her body is positioned, carefully noting that it is the same position every night. He finds this to be comforting too. 

Sighing, he runs a hand through a mass of unruly hair and continues to watch her sleep. 

_ In and out, in and out;_ he is counting the measures of her breathing, and finds that he has picked up her pattern in the process of doing so. The moonlight spills in through the curtains and shines on her face, turning her skin silver. He doesn't know if he's seen her as beautiful as she is now; hair in her face, wearing his old t-shirt, and a face completely discarded of make-up. She shifts and pulls the covers closer to her face, a movement that makes him grin—he's not sure why exactly. 

He spies the car keys sitting on the dresser, and goes to shove them in his pocket. Then, taking long, soft strides, he makes his way to the door and turns the knob. He looks back, checking to see that she is still sleeping, then turns to shut the door behind him. 

**

It is a cool night in Stars Hollow; the sky pitched black like marble, making the stars sparkle that much more. He is driving through town now, though he doesn't know why; he's seen it about a thousand times and then some. But regardless, he continues to drive and regards the "landmarks" with an indifferent manner. He thinks that nothing has changed since he left; maybe he was foolish enough to think that it would. 

There is nothing different about it—Luke's Diner continues to be the hot-spot, Mrs. Kim's Antiques is still open for business, and the Dragonfly is still going strong. He passes by the high school without even looking at it because it continues to be the constant reminder of a failure he'd like to forget, and wonders briefly if Luke has finally forgiven him. 

He thinks it to be the latter, and pushes the thought out of his mind. 

He thinks about the citizens, and cannot understand how they can live here—seeing the same people, doing the same routine (wake up, go to Luke's), and living the same life as they had the day before. To him, the idea of that kind of routine is ridiculous and tiring. 

_ So why are you back?_ He's not sure why until he passes by Taylor's Ice Cream Shoppe. He sees the ridiculous poster with her face on it and is reminded: soft waves of chestnut, eyes of ocean glass, and a lavender scent …. 

_You're back. _

_Yup. _

_Again. _

_I guess I am. _

He thinks about the day that he saw her (again), and remembers the confusion associated with the fact that she … hugged him? And as he thinks about it now, it still doesn't make any sense. The only thing that made any remote sense was when she clocked him in the jaw right after their short embrace. 

_Ow. _

_You deserved it. _

_Yeah. _

He smiles fondly of the memorable 3rd reunion and knows that he couldn't have had that anywhere else but here. 

Her unabashed desire for black coffee in the morning. 

Nowhere else but here. 

Her kisses in the autumn rain. 

Nowhere else but here. 

Her whispers in his ear at night.

_I love you too. _

Nowhere else but here. 

He knows now that he had to go away to learn, and back again to find everything that he's been waiting for (unconsciously) his entire life. He knows now that there was not a single place in the entire world that could possibly shield him from her forever. 

Maybe he's always known. 

He knows that he couldn't have this anywhere else. 

(Nowhere else but here.)

**

He slips back into their room and finds that she is awake, sitting up in their bed. He offers her a smile, but she responds with a frown. He closes the door and walks over to the bed and climbs in. He finds it warm and smelling of lavender. 

"I woke up alone." She says, looking straight ahead. 

He shifts his weight and takes her hand. 

"I thought you'd left." 

He brings her hand to his face and touches it with his lips. "I went out for a drive." 

She turns her head to look at him. "But you came back."

"I came back." He agrees. 

She smiles, and he thinks that it doesn't get any better then this. 

(Nowhere else but here.)

-End-


End file.
